E-mails have become the most commonly used mode of written communication. People have literally stopped using the traditional hard paper mailing system and rely only on e-mail now days. E-mails play a vital role especially in corporate communication and often lead to confusions when not written and addressed properly.
In this post I will discuss several steps to improve your e-mail writing etiquettes and write quality mails.
Step 1. Add recipients wisely – The ‘TO’ box of any e-mail message should contain only those names who are intended for that mail and who will take action on that mail. Other people who should only be kept informed for this message should be added in the CC field. Usage of BCC field in company e-mails is considered impolite and unprofessional so avoid using the BCC field.
Step 2. Write meaningful subject line – People receive hundreds of mails each day, so it is very important that you write meaning subject line so that it worked as the summary of that particular mail. Writing no subject, while sending a professional mail is very unprofessional, so do write proper subject line in your e-mails.
Step 3. Be the same – People often keep on experimenting with the stationary, and text format of their e-mail messages, but this should be avoided. Try not to use any special format or stationary in your official mails and keep it simple. Official mails carry importance in the matter that you write and not in its stationary.
Step 4. Do not prioritize e-mails – When you prioritize your e-mail it seems as if you are trying to gather unnecessary importance so try to avoid prioritizing your e-mails. Special care should be taken when you write e-mails to your superiors, so be simple.
Step 5. Use proper greeting – Email messages are generally formal and sophisticated when used in companies. Avoid using greetings like Dear, Loving etc and just use Hi, or Hello in the salutation.
Step 6. Be to the point – Reading long text or letters on computer screen is difficult when compared to a letter on paper. For this reason you should always keep your e-mails concise and to the point. Do not be emotional while writing official e-mails but support your mail with meaningful tact and data.
Step 7. Proof Read – E-mail messages and its grammar reflects the personality and image of its author, so it is very important to use correct and normal English while writing mails. Do proof readings before you send the mail. Avoid using very rich vocabulary and keep the diction simple and straight.
Step 8. Avoid excessive formatting – Formatting, text colours, background colours, fonts etc which look good on your computer might not really look good on the recipients’ computer, so restrain using such formatting.
Step 9. Whom should you reply – E-mails sent only to you should be replied only to the sender. Avoid adding other people while replying. Also if there were more than one names in the ‘TO’ field then you can surely use the ‘Reply To All’ option.
